The minority party has one-third of the funding and selects one-third of the staff as well. Committees are required to meet at least once a month to discuss the bills given to them. When the Bill reaches the specific committee the committee members study, research, and revises the bill very carefully before then voting on whether or not to send it back to the House floor. If the committee decides it needs more information before voting on whether or not it should be sent back to the House floor, then they send it to a subcommittee- a smaller committee that is more focused on a specific issue.
The subcommittee then closely examines the bill, gathers expert opinions and sends it back to the committee for approval. Bill is Reported and Debated If the committee approves the bill, it is reported to the House floor. Now back on the House floor the debate begins on whether or not the bill should become a law. The reading clerk reads the bill by each section and the Representatives recommend changes.
Once the changes have been agreed upon and made then the bill is ready to be voted on. Recorded Vote - The Representatives will vote using an electronic voting system. The legislative process comprises a number of steps, and this page provides information concerning legislation introduced and considered in Congress.
The sponsor's signature must appear on the bill, which may have an unlimited number of cosponsoring Members. The bill is assigned its legislative number by the Clerk and referred to the committee of jurisdiction, which is the committee charged with review of the bill.
The House of Representatives divides its work among over twenty permanent committees. After a bill is introduced and referred to the committee of jurisdiction, the committee will often send the measure to its specialized subcommittee s for study, hearings, revisions, and approval. Usually, the first step in this process is a public hearing where the committee or subcommittee members hear witnesses representing various viewpoints on the measure.
At this point, amendments may be offered to the bill, and the committee or subcommittee Members vote to accept or reject these changes. At the conclusion of deliberation, a vote of committee or subcommittee Members is taken to determine what action to take on the measure.
If the conferees are unable to reach agreement, the legislation dies. Both the House and the Senate must approve the conference report. If either chamber rejects the conference report, the bill dies. Action by the President After the conference report has been approved by both the House and the Senate, the final bill is sent to the President. If the President approves the legislation, he signs it and it becomes law. If the President does not take action for 10 days while Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law.
If the President opposes the bill, he can veto it; or if the President takes no action and Congress adjourns its session, it is a "pocket veto" and the legislation dies. Overriding a Veto If the President vetoes a bill, Congress may decide to attempt to override the veto. Relationship-building asks, such as attendance at an event, are requests not necessarily related to policy that may nevertheless help you with policy asks in the future.
What is appropriate to ask? You may ask elected officials to do any of the following: Introduce, vote for, or vote against legislation. Cosponsor legislation introduced by someone else in the same chamber of the legislature. Send a letter to an agency about a specific concern or sign onto a letter drafted by another legislator. Send a letter to another member of the legislature in an influential position, such as the chair or ranking member of a particular committee.
Help you find and gather information from agencies and research services. Submit a statement to the federal Congressional Record or official state record of legislative action, if applicable. What is inappropriate to ask? Federal legislators cannot cosponsor or vote for state-level legislation, and vice versa. The power of constituency People tend to think that elected officials pay attention only to those who contribute to their election campaigns.
Relationship-building asks Sometimes, you may be in a situation where it is inappropriate to make policy-related asks. The following are some of the things you might ask your elected officials to do in order to develop stronger relationships with them: Visit people or places in the community that relate to your issue. Write an article for your newsletter. Submit a statement for your website or participate in an online discussion.
Make a speech on the House or Senate floor about your issue. Submit a statement to the Congressional Record or official state record of legislative action, if applicable. Attend a meeting or employee luncheon.
Hold a town hall or community meeting on your issue. Submit an editorial on the issue to a local or national newspaper. Meet with you and other supporters in the district office. Use social media to communicate support for or information about the issue. Knowing the Person You Are Talking to and Why You are Relevant to Them Before you meet with your elected officials, you should take some time to learn about their interests so that you can frame your message in a way that is bound to get their full attention.
Here are five things you need to know before your meeting: Which district or state does the legislator represent? Representatives and senators at both the state and national levels represent distinct groups of people and primarily devote their energy to the requests and needs of those individuals. On the federal level, each member of the House of Representatives represents all the people who reside in a congressional district—a distinct geographic area within a state.
Based on the census, an average of around , people live in each congressional district. Every state has two senators who represent the entire state. Hence, every American has one representative and two senators who are responsible for representing their views in Congress. At the state government level, the number of representatives and senators representing you varies from state to state. In most states, however, you will have one legislator in each chamber who represents the area in which you live.
In general, you should stick to contacting your own representative and senators, unless you can demonstrate that you speak for people who live in another district or state. What does she or he care about? Most legislators have a record—reflected through votes, legislation they have introduced, and cosponsoring legislation introduced by other members—on virtually every issue under the sun.
Before your meeting, know where the member stands on issues that concern you. On which committee or committees does the legislator serve? Members usually serve on one to three committees. Committees within state legislatures are often assigned based on similar criteria.
Knowing the committee assignments of your elected officials can give you insights into the issues that interest them and information about how they can be most effective in helping you. Where is the elected official on the seniority scale? The seniority of members of Congress, both House and Senate, is based upon when they were elected to that office. State legislatures similarly base some measures of influence on the length of tenure. If your legislator is relatively new to office, the unfortunate fact is that she or he generally will not be able to move as many legislative initiatives or secure as many dollars for a project as will a more senior legislator.
However, if your legislator is a committee chair or ranking member, or a member of the leadership, you are in luck. These individuals have a far greater ability to move policy proposals through the legislative process. To which party does the legislator belong? Your legislators have been elected to represent you and your interests, regardless of your party affiliation. However, it is important to know their party affiliations to determine if they are in the majority or minority party in the legislature.
While many legislators seek to work collaboratively and across party lines, members of the majority party still have an advantage in efforts to get legislative proposals passed.
General Message Delivery Tips Tell a personal story The most important thing to remember in developing and delivering a message for your elected official is that you have something of value to contribute.
Questions and ideas to consider as you develop and articulate your personal story Take a few minutes to weave the following or other compelling themes into an anecdote: Why did you become an advocate? How does the issue you are discussing affect you directly? Does it impact your companion animals or local wildlife?
Do you have personal experience with the type of animal cruelty you wish to prevent? Do you have friends, family, clients, customers, or colleagues with compelling stories? Have they contributed to your cause? Joined your campaign because of their own strong views or unique experiences? Ten tips for effective messages You need to deliver your message in a way that will make legislators and their staff sit up and take notice. In addition to the approaches noted above, here are 10 tips that will help your message stand out among the hundreds that pour into a legislative office every day: Always identify yourself It is a waste of your time to meet with your elected officials without making it clear how you are connected to the district or state that they represent.
The official and staff will be more likely to focus on your issue if they know how it relates to constituents such as yourself. Leave materials with them You will definitely want to leave something behind that succinctly summarizes your message.
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